I've recently returned from vacation in Ireland. What a beautiful country, but what lousy weather! All that's another story though, for another time. What I wanted to relay was some information on Irish whiskey's that I tasted while there. As it turns out, they were all from the Middleton Distillery, maker of Jameson. The first one I tasted was Power's. I found it to be very enjoyable, with a relatively light flavor and smooth finish. I find it to be an exceptionally good blended whiskey (which I usually don't like) and very affordable. I had a glass of Redbreast at a pub and during this tasting, I enjoyed it very much. It has more complexity than the Power's; it too is very smooth and had a nice, long finish. It is 12 years old and is pure pot still whiskey. Next, while doing a tour of the Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin (no distilling is done there now; the current distillery is at Middleton, located in the town of the same name), it was recommended that I try Crested 10. Up until this point, the Crested 10 was the best of the bunch flavor wise. A very delicious, but light tasting whiskey, with a very enjoyable aroma, an array of light malt flavors, and a very smooth/long finish. It is 8 years old. The price on this is in between the Power's and the Redbreast. After the tour of Jameson's, there was a glass of the standard Jameson's to taste. Very disappointing in my book, especially when compared to the others I'd tasted already. Lastly, while in Dublin, we went to the shop of liquor merchant, Mitchell's. We had a great talk with one of the salesmen about Irish whiskey as well as Bourbon. I'm pretty sure they had Buffalo Trace there! Anyway, they carry Middleton whiskey that is made exclusively for them, called Green Spot. I was able to try it along with the Redbreast again. No contest here; the Redbreast wasn't even enjoyable in comparison. On this occasion, the finish left an unpleasant flavor in my mouth and throat. The Green Spot however, was phenomenal. This bottling was 8 years old...there are older bottlings, but these get quite expensive. The aroma was very pleasant. Again, there is a lightness in the flavor, yet a complexness as well. The finish was superb, being quite smooth and long. I believe this was the same price as the Redbreast at Mitchel's. I grabbed a bottle of the Green Spot to enjoy at home. Dad got a bottle of the Crested 10. I had previously purchased Power's.

Unfortunately, the Green Spot and Crested 10 are not available in the US. I don't think Redbreast is available here either. If you're in Ireland, I highly recommend that you try them. Even in Ireland, the Green Spot is had to find. I checked many "off-license" shops (their liquor stores) asking for Green Spot. Everyone knew of it, but only one place in Galway had it.

Congratulations on your trip Brewer and thanks for your interesting notes! (Any other observations on Ireland you want to share?)

Red Breast 12 YO is available in the US cause I gots a bottle. It is as you describedl it. Like all Irish Whiskies with which I am familiar, it is what I would describe as soft, smooth and sweet from the barley. A nice very drinkable whiskey that is consistent and offers subtle challenges.

Speaking of beers, have you tried the new Samuel Adams Black Lager.........I find this to be quite good beer.

Do not go gentle into that good night,Old age should burn and rage at close of day;Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas

bunghole wrote:You flew to Ireland, and not a single photograph? Nikon no workee?

Linn

Pics will be coming. We got so many I'm a bit overwhelmed. In addition, I'm a little bit "technologically challenged" and will need help from my wife to edumacate me. Rather than wait for that, I wanted to get the words down at least.

Mike: I'll be posting some other trip related info in the Watercooler and What Ales You forums. I will tell you we went to the Guinness Brewery in Dublin and enjoyed a few pints in their "Gravity Bar" overlooking the city.

Bas: Your pictures must be from the current Middelton distillery. My preference would have been to go there, but we were on a tour that instead went to the original Jameson distillery which is currently a non-distilling, tourist oriented site. It is called the "Old Jameson Distillery" in Dublin. For what it's worth, their tour is pretty weak, especially after seeing/touring many of the distilleries in KY.

My wife and I vacationed in Ireland last November. Fortunately, the weather was good with only intermittent showers for just a couple of days. I wanted to try some of the more unusual Irish whiskies while we were there. Unfortunately, all the bars and pubs we entered just had the "regular" brands that we see here in the U.S. I was hoping to find Green Spot and some of the Middleton and Cooley varieties. I did try Powers for the first time and liked it. I actually prefer Powers to Redbreast 12. I think Redbreast 12 is way overpriced. I also think the regular Jameson has improved significantly in recent years. Jim Murray gives Jameson 95 points in his 2008 Whiskey Bible.

gillmang wrote:I have seen Green Spot numerous times at Park Avenue Liquors in New York (Park Avenue Liquors is actually on Madison).

Gary

Gary,

I am very surprised about this. I asked about the availability of Green Spot in the US, and the salesman led me to believe it isn't distributed in the states. I've also read that Green Spot has very limited availability even in Ireland. In fact, while there, I only found it stocked at one other retail store other than Mitchell's.

It was the only place I ever saw it in the U.S., but I did it see it there some years ago. Not sure if they still have it. It has been available too in Ontario off and on over the years. It went for about $100 as I recall.

We're visiting Kilkenny here. Had a nice pub lunch in town, and I got to try Redbreast here. At the time, I really liked Redbreast. Later, it did not compare as favorably against Crested 10 or Green Spot in price or flavor. The bar was typical of so many pubs in Ireland. Lots of warm wood, making it very inviting. Three of the pictures are from this pub and the other is of Dad outside another place.

Here's the proof (no not ABV) that you say you needed. As stated previously, this is the OLD Jameson Distillery in Dublin, not the current Jameson Distillery in Middelton. The best part of the visit was learning about a few of Jameson's products, and getting to taste the Crested 10. The tour that they do here is OK, but if you've been on tours in KY, you'll be disappointed by this one. It's very basic, touristy stuff. At the end of the distillery tour, we got a glass of the standard Jameson's which, in my opinion is about as good as the tour. We also had dinner and there was an Irish band for entertainment afterwards. Visiting Jameson's was part of our Ireland tour package, so it didn't cost us extra. It definitely would not have been worth paying 60 Euros per person to see though.